Tag Archives: Neeraj Shridhar

The Important Announcement

Due to the scarcity of time, from now on, I will sum up the entire month’s reviews in a set of two articles each month, one usually around the 15th of the month and the other towards the end. Of course, certain albums that I feel need a separate post (either because they might have many songs, or be spectacular albums, or even if the movies are highly awaited ones) I will do so for those albums. I will reveal the chosen album for this month — it’ll be “Secret Superstar” — I don’t guarantee it’ll be rated very high, but because of the buzz surrounding it, it requires a separate post, I feel! Meanwhile, the usual monthly awards posts will sum everything up once again at the end of every month in the form of awards. I really hope this format helps me balance my schedule! And I can’t wait to return to my normal long posts — till then enjoy your luck of getting to read short reviews from my side!!

October 2017 Round-Up

So this post will cover the reviews for the all but two of October releases that have already released — ‘Chef’ by Raghu Dixit & Amaal Mallik, ‘Tu Hai Mera Sunday’ by Amartya Rahut (Bobo), ‘Ranchi Diaries’ by Nickk, Jeet Gannguli, Tony Kakkar & Bobby-Imran, ‘Golmaal Again’ by Amaal Mallik, Thaman S., Lijo George-DJ Chetas & Abhishek Arora, and ‘Jia Aur Jia’ by Sachin Gupta, Nisschal Zaveri & Sameer Nichani. There will be separate reviews for ‘Secret Superstar’ and ‘Rukh’, both by Amit Trivedi.

Raghu Dixit starts off the album with Shugal Laga Le, a song having a heavy folk influence from Kerala. The backing vocalists provide that freshness associated with Kerala, and Raghu’s characteristic voice makes it all the more intriguing to listen to. In his arrangements too, he adds a dash of everything, and especially those percussions are mind blowing, along with the banjo. Ankur’s lyrics made me acquainted with a new phrase “Shugal Laga Le” meaning “find a hobby, or find something to do”. The next song by him is also reliant on folk music, this time Celtic/Irish. Banjaara is steeped heavily on the beautiful flutes that characterise Irish music, with amazing percussion and backing vocals yet again. Vishal Dadlani does great justice to the sing with those power-packed vocals. The song is one of those many motivational songs that Vishal gets to sing in Bollywood, except that this time, it has a whole new style to it. The mellow Darmiyaan, exudes a positivity in spite of the fact that it is a sad song — mostly because of Raghu’s ebullience. A splendid guitar backdrop makes it simple and sweet, and Raghu’s diction has to be lauded. Raghu takes forth the melancholia in a more Bollywood-ish way in Khoya Khoya, which I rank as the best of the album — underrated Shahid Mallya taking charge of the vocals in a very beautiful way, and Dixit’s composition has that old-world-charm to it. The sarangi is quite impressive here! The alternative rock set up will make this one loveable to many! Raghu’s last song on the album is the effervescent Tan Tan, rendered with spunk by Nikhita Gandhi, the only female vocalist on the album. In her texture, she gives off vibes of Shalmali and Shefali. Guest composer Amaal Mallik, whose song Tere Mere was also removed from the album later, produces a song you can immediately tell is by him. That doesn’t make its richness diluted, though — it’s still wonderful, with the nice dholak rhythm accompanying Armaan Malik’s beautiful voice. Also, Rashmi-Virag’s lyrics are amazing!
All in all, Chef is one of the best albums of the year in that it is a clever mix of melancholia, inspiration and romance. Raghu Dixit must sign more and more Bollywood films — I firmly believe that this is his best Bollywood album yet!

Total Points Scored by This Album (in the order mentioned in the review): 4 + 5 + 4 + 5 + 4.5 + 4 = 26.5

Out of Arijit’s two songs, the classically-steeped sad song Dhundlo Tum fares better, with an addictive strings orchestra accompanying it, and it quickly steers away from the Bhatt-ish genre that it starts off with. Had that continued, it wouldn’t have been half as good. The digital Sitar is beautiful. His other song, Thodi Si Jagah, is also classical-based for some initial parts, before it turns into an upbeat number that loses itself halfway through the song. The rock backdrop ofthe hook line couldn’t have been more clichéd. Arijit’s vocal prowess is clearly showcased in the song though. It is Amartya’s violin solo that impresses though, with its distinct classical tune. The title song, Tu Hai Mera Sunday, takes a pleasant Christmassy turn, with soft jazz making your ears happy. Shalmali renders it with a familiarity that makes you feel amazing. The brass portions have been done really well here, as are the drums. The clarinet and piano is wonderful too. It is nothing more than the lyrics that make it sound even more personal though. Ash King’s Yeh Mera Manis a pleasant departure from his previous song ‘Bandook Meri Laila’ (A Gentleman) and brings him back to his comfort zone. Again, a jazzy tune gives the song a kind of spring, and that whistle portion is so pleasantly surprising and charming, it is hard to dislike. The guitars are impressive here. Yeh Jo Pyaar Hai, a clubbish number sung by Nandini Srikar, is probably the weakest of the album, where the tune and the arrangement are just mismatched; the hookline sounds like this song was pitched for the situation of ‘Aaj Ki Raat’ (Don) before ‘Aaj Ki Raat’ was finalised.Amartya’s best album to date provides us with a nice mix of classical music, jazz music and a banal club number! This album will go highly underrated and unnoticed though!

Total Points Scored by This Album (in order mentioned in the review): 4.5 + 4 + 4 + 3.5 + 3 = 19

Some newcomer Nickk is — he has just been made to make another ‘Baby Doll’, now that Meet Bros. just be refusing to do it. However, Fashion Queen has something in addition to the usual ‘Baby Doll’ sequels — an Arabic strings backdrop that just helps it as much as a car can help you fly. The new singer Raahi seems disillusioned with the ideals that it is okay to sing like Kanika Kapoor if you aren’t her. The composer’s rap is dumb. Helicopter‘s lyricist and composer Tony Kakkar uses the word ‘helicopter’ as a metaphor for ‘getting high’. 😶 Siblings Tony and Neha render it with as much mediocrity as they can muster. I can’t believe Tony is the same guy behind ‘Saawan Aaya Hai’ (Creature 3D) and ‘Khuda Bhi’ (Ek Paheli Leela), but then he has made ‘Ek Do Teen Chaar’ (Ek Paheli Leela) and ‘Do Peg Maar’ (One Night Stand). Jeet Gannguli’s Thoda Aur is the composer’s usual pathos-filled romantic number — you would think that after a year-long break, he would return with something pleasant. But it is the same old Arijit-Palak love story. And the irony is that this song sounds like ‘Saawan Aaya Hai’ (Creature 3D). So did Tony help him here instead of making his own song better? 😏 The last song is a banal Mika solo Godfather, composed by Pritam’s former assistants Bobby-Imran, which I couldn’t even finish once when I started to listen to it.This is a Hodge-podge of the worst songs from the weirdest mix of composers ever.

The album to the much-awaited fourth instalment to the ‘Golmaal’ series starts with the Title Track, where South film composer Thaman S. is called in just to do that clichéd Kuthu rhythm we are all bored of. Brijesh Shandilya does well as the lead male singer, but Aditi Singh Sharma sounds utterly replaceable. She gets another song, Itna Sannata Kyun Hai, composed by Lijo George and DJ Chetas, where her part towers over her male co-singer Amit Mishra’s parts. The hookline is like a desperate scream in our ears, to make noise. The EDM after the hookline is so bad, I can’t describe it. Amaal Mallik, lead composer, gets two songs, where one is obviously a 90s remake. ‘Neend Churayi Meri’ (Ishq) is the privileged song, named by the company as Maine Tujhko Dekha. The song’s best part is that Neeraj Sridhar returns after a long time to sing a song that is tailor-made for his song. Sukriti Kakar complements him well, but the song is better as an individual song than it is as a remake. Had the hookline been original, it would have been amazing! Amaal’s second song happens to be the album’s best — Hum Nahi Sudhrenge gives those rays of positivity like ‘Apna Har Din’ did in ‘Golmaal 3’. Though the song is similar to Amaal’s other EDM numbers like “Sooraj Dooba Hai”, “Buddhu Sa Mann” and “Zindagi Aa Raha Hoon Main”, it works well because of its positivity and Armaan yet again sings charmingly! What Saregama holds of the album is an unplugged, slow-paced version of ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’s Aate Jaate Hanste Gaate, sung very simply by Nikhil D’Souza and Anushka Manchanda, and arranged soothingly by Abhishek Arora (of Abhishek-Akshay) and Samyuktha Narendran. It doesn’t work too much though, in spite of not changing much from the old song.The worst Golmaal album is held up solely by Amaal’s songs (or song).

The songs by Sachin Gupta start off the album, and though they do not impress you immediately, you do get attuned to them on hearing them for a couple of times. Na Shukre is a wild rock song about carefree girls, and Smita Malhotra makes a rocking debut with her vocals in this, the rock guitars played wonderfully. Shivani Bhayana’s Naach Basanti, on the other hand, is a bit too rowdy to go with its amazing club arrangements, but apparently by the lyrics, it is supposed to be some sort of an ode to “Sholay”. Many of the small additions by Gupta in this song happen to catch your attention, like the techno sounds at the beginning, and the folksy portion at the end.
The newcomer composer, Nisschal Zaveri, steps in for the rest of the songs (with lyrics) and I must say, he does quite an amazing job in his first album itself. His lullaby-ish, classical-based Na Jaa appears in two versions, one in Asees Kaur’s voice, with a stark resemblance to her singing in ‘Kaari Kaari’ (Dobaara), while the other is in Nandini Srikar’s voice. Obviously, Nandini’s version wins my heart because of her seasoned voice and more classically inclined singing. The Tabla in this song has to be mentioned, as do the strings, guitars and mandolin. The arrangements overpower the voice of Asees in her version, another drawback of that version. Nandini’s version has everything that the music buff longs for in a good song.
Zaveri’s other song, released by Saregama, is a reprise of Shankar-Jaikishan-Mohd. Rafi classic Jia O Jia, and is an apt remake of the song, with an upbeat clubbish sound, one of the freshest remakes I’ve heard this year. The song feels like a splash of water on your face — despite being a remake, Zaveri uses his creativity to make it a bit unconventional, without being bogged down by the thought of what’s popular these days. The synth has been used amazingly, and the backing chorus singing “Jia O” after every hook is just sweet! Jyotica sounds amazing in this song, the least she has sounded like Neha Kakkar ever! But Rashid Ali, being heard after a long time, falls flat due to the excessive programming done to his voice. The Latino turn of sound midway into the song takes time to get used to, but is awesome!
The background score composer for the film, Sameer Nichani, gets one of his instrumental pieces added to the album, and it is called Jia Aur Jia Theme, and is heavy on Spanish guitars, played in a very sensuous way. It is extremely short at one and a half minute, but soothes your senses for all its worth.A hidden gem of an album, wherein we find a new composer who must get many, many more songs in Bollywood!! Zaveri scores higher than Gupta here.

Remake Counter:

I hope that wasn’t too long (though I know it was) but this is what I’m going to have to do until I am a bit more free. I personally liked this method of reviewing and don’t mind continuing it forever too! So maybe, just maybe, you might get the “Secret Superstar” and “Rukh” reviews in this format too, but in separate posts and not clubbed together! Lets see! Till then, enjoy music! 😉

Irada is a Bollywood thriller film, starring Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, Sharad Kelkar, Sagarika Ghatge and Divya Dutta. The film is directed by Aparnaa Singh, and produced by Falguni Patel and Prince Soni. The movie is an eco-thriller about a mysterious bomb-blast at a factory, and the repercussions that follow. The movie having released already, and I being as lazy and late as I can to write the review for some reason, I should just hurry and get on with it. So the music has been composed by someone who we have been hearing behind the mic for years, (and also somebody who hasn’t sung a “good” song for quite a long time) Neeraj Shridhar. The singer-turned-composer isn’t composing something for the first time in his life; I believe he debuted with one song in Akshay Kumar’s ‘8×10 Tasveer’. Neeraj has composed four songs for the thriller film, and hopefully they bring the thriller touch to the film very nicely. Also expecting him to have sung a song. That being said, let’s dive on into the soundtrack of ‘Irada’!

1. Mahi

The first track on the album starts off the album very romantically, with a charismatic romantic song, high on Rajasthani folk elements and a very scinitllating tune. The composition by Neeraj Shridhar really took me by surprise. But then again, he coming from a pop background, such a composition could be expected from him also, as pop is a genre where you are free from the bindings of the script and whatnot. The song starts off with a wonderful folksy introductory couplet, sung by an uncredited backing vocalist, and she sounds great trying to emulate Rajasthan’s folk vocalists. As soon as the song starts, and right away starts with the hookline, you can’t help but be reminded of Anu Malik’s ‘Hamein Jab Se Mohabbat Ho Gayi Hai’ (Border; 1997), and coincidentally, that song too had a heavy use of the word “Maahi”. 😀 Here, Neeraj has beautifully made a hookline from that word, but it also sounds quite ordinary. One can’t help but keep waiting for something path breaking to arrive, but it doesn’t. Both the antaras have a nice tune too, a mélange of high and low notes. There is a kind of conclusion to the song after the second antara ends, and one just feels that it was completely unnecessary. It stretches for almost one minute, in a Qawwali style, which could have instead taken place in one of the interludes. But it looks like since Shabab had hardly anything to do for the first four minutes of the song, one minute was allotted solely to him at the end. Neeraj’s arrangements are fascinating. Rajasthani folk instruments find their way into his song, the sarangi and other strings being the most prominent. The beats for the rest of the song are digital, and I also feel that could’ve been replaced by traditional dholak beats. And then during that one minute of Qawwali, Neeraj adds the necessary tablas and harmoniums. The flute that starts the song is just fascinating. Harshdeep Kaur renders the song with ease, but I can say that it is the first time I’ve heard her sound so dull and melancholic; she could’ve put in more expression instead of just singing the song! She always sounds so beautiful! Shabab, as I said has almost nothing to do except yell (yes, I do mean yell) “aaaja maaaahiii” behind whatever Harshdeep is singing. Sameer’s lyrics are clichéd to the core, as always. A middling start to the album. Good tune and arrangements, but boring execution.

Rating: 3.5/5

2. Irada

Singer ~ Nikhil Uzgare

(Nothing to showcase; what a belch-like song)

The next song takes the form of a hard-hitting rock song which fails to impress except in the rock itself. Neeraj’s composition sounds very rash and all over the place. We know rock can sound very orderly if done well, but sadly, this one is not that. The mukhda seems detached from the hookline, which in turn seems a separate entity in itself. The lines don’t flow into one another as they should in any good song. The hookline sounds like a tune made by a debutant composer. (Well, technically Neeraj can be regarded as one, but he’s been around in Bollywood for so long so as to judge what works and what doesn’t!) The singer (debutant Nikhil Uzgare) belts out the hookline convincingly as a rock singer, but his voice lacks the connect that voices like Suraj Jagan and the like have. The arrangements are impressive, with the rock hitting the right notes. Rock guitars have been played impressively, as are the drums. Sameer’s lyrics are good, but get lost somewhere in the noisy singing and weird tune. Only the rock rocks, and that doesn’t help when the tune is bad!

Now we are treated with another dulcet melody, this time a male-sung song, which is a lullaby. The song immediately reminded me of ‘Masoom Sa’ (Madaari; 2016), another song from father to child. This time too, Neeraj gets it right as far as the composition is concerned. The composition has all that it needs to succeed as a lullaby, and especially the “Main gaaun loriyaan” hook is impressive. The antaras are also impressive, and the tune treads over the low octaves so wonderfully, that it gives a really fascinating touch to the low notes. The man rendering these notes is responsible too for that though. Papon, fresh from the success of ‘Labon Ka Karobaar’ (Befikre; 2016) sings this song in his metallic voice so splendidly that it just touches your heart directly. His voice has the glint of magnetism that makes sure your audience falls asleep, but doesn’t, while you sing a lullaby (if you get what that means!) Arrangements are tranquil, with guitars racing ahead of everything else and making sure things are in right place. Strings help to infuse that orchestral quality into the song, while shakers sound marvellous, shaking subtly in the background. The piano notes that you can hear if you listen carefully, are BEAUTIFUL! The only wrong thing I can point out in this song is its duration; it gets quite testing to sit and hear an almost seven-minute-long lullaby! But that’s not a creative fault. Sameer’s lyrics are just marvellous here, suitable for a lullaby and very moving. A well-done lullaby, with a lilting touch.

Rating: 4/5

4. Mitran De

Singers ~ Master Saleem, Kaur B & Earl Edgar

(Nothing to showcase here!)

The last song comes and you are sure that Neeraj has played ‘Alternate the Genres’ in this album. First a romantic song, then a loud rock song, then a lullaby, and finally, a loud Punjabi party song. This song literally follows the Punjabi alcohol party template to the tee. The mukhda starts the song off as frivolously as possible, but by the time the hookline arrives, you start getting used to the song. It sounds like those Punjabi songs everyone in Bollywood used to make during the 2007-2010 period. The antara actually has a good tune, by which I mean enjoyable. There are two antaras, one sung by Kaur B, and the other by Master Saleem. That brings us to the vocals. Three vocalists in a song that Neeraj himself could have very well sung himself seems quite preposterous. Okay, at least Master Saleem was a good choice. But Earl Edgar’s portions seem too forced to believe. His rap is believable, but the parts he tries singing sound bad! Kaur B gives us a good break from Neha Kakkar with her unique voice. Arrangements are typical club song arrangements, with heavy techno sounds and the Punjabi instruments pitching in to do all they can to help increase the loudness. The tumbi stands out here too, but then again, give me a song where it doesn’t. The dhols are very pompous, and contribute to the noise pollution. In all this, I feel the song hasn’t been recorded properly, as there’s a harshness to every singer’s voice. Sameer’s lyrics don’t go beyond the usual ‘Let’s drink till our liver breaks down’ stuff we hear everyday in Bollywood. (Am I overdoing it? Because nowadays we don’t hear that stuff everyday! Maybe that era has passed!! If so, I’m happy! :P) A Punjabi song that is enjoyable, but with every enjoyability in life, you get unwanted problems. 😉

Rating: 2.5/5

Irada turned out to be not as inspiring as its name. Neeraj Shridhar could’ve made a spectacular soundtrack! But sadly, the songs don’t live up to the mark. Two of the songs fare quite good, the other two are weak. Overall, the album isn’t one which you would be listening even one month down the line.

Junooniyat (meaning: passion)is an upcoming Bollywood romatic comedy starring Pulkit Samrat and Yami Gautam in the lead roles. The film is directed by Vivek Agnihotri and produced by T-Series. Looking at the star cast instantly reminds me of the disaster called ‘Sanam Re’, which had pretty decent music, barring two to three tracks. Here, one of the composers from ‘Sanam Re’ is retained — Jeet Gannguli, with two tracks out of the six in the album. Meet Bros. Anjjan (the music was composed before the split) lead the soundtrack with three tracks, while Ankit Tiwari takes up the rear with one song. Hoping for some good music as this is a T-Series album, is natural. Also, the romantic genre is like an assurance for at least three to four super hit songs. So expecting that, as well. 😀 Let’s see what ‘Junooniyat’ has to offer!

Meet Bros. Anjjan get to open up the album with a dance party number, that is sure to climb the charts. Techno sounds are the quintessential start to these songs, and the brass instruments carry it forward. Meet Bros. sing an English intro to the song, until Tulsi kicks in with a totally different avatar. Meet Bros. Anjjan have taken StereoNation’s pop song ‘Nachange Saari Raat’ and remade it in a completely Bollywood manner. When they had remade ‘High Heels’ (Ki & Ka) I was really impressed, as they had completely transformed the whole song. However, this time, they have done a very typical remake — with the hookline being the same as the original and then composing some lines trying to match that line. And that is what makes the composition faulty here. It lacks the spunk that must be infused into such party numbers and turns put sounding pretty ordinary, just like the trio almost always did! (I personally liked most of Meet Bros’ work when they became a duo). The mukhda and antaras sound very outdated, something like ‘been there heard that’. The hookline is the only thing that sounds good, and that too, only in Neeraj’s voice. Tulsi seems to have tried too hard to sound different. It sounds good for the first few listens, but sounds irritating later on. Aditi Singh Sharma or Neha Kakkar would’ve been a better choice, in my opinion. Neeraj infuses the energy into the song. Arrangements too play as a savior, with the groovy club beats and brass instruments. Meet Bros. join in for a daaru-centred rap in the second interlude, which is a regular in club songs these days. Kumaar’s lyrics, too, are ordinary party song lyrics, stuff we got bored of in 2010, but Bollywood won’t until 2847. A decent attempt to make us dance all night, but just a temporary obsession. In the long run, it will be tough for this song to survive. A weak start to the album!

The next song brings in Jeet Gannguli, who has roped in T-Series’ latest obsession, Armaan Malik, to sing it. The song is your everyday romantic song with powerful rock guitars, trying to wail out all the romance in five minutes, just to have the lead couple break up after some time in the movie. Jeet’s composition is not exactly boring, but it isn’t anything great, either. First of all, the hookline is very flat, and doesn’t really appeal like a hookline should. When they say “jaana” at the end of the hookline, it seems like a very abrupt end, and sounds odd. The mukhda is the hookline itself, so you can see where that’s heading. The antara, starting off softly, and ending with the loud hookline, is not so impressive either. All in all, the composition is what too bland and tasteless. After ‘Milne Hai Mujhse Aayi’ (Aashiqui 2), Jeet tries another rock-styled romantic ballad, but doesn’t actually get where he had in that song. He has also tried to make Armaan sing as dynamically as Arijit had in that song, but it sounds like he is merely copying Arijit with a bit of K.K. occasionally. Armaan does do quite a good job though, considering how ordinary the song is. In the arrangements, too, nothing appeals except an awesome saxophone by Raj Sodha which plays many times in the song. Everything else is the normal electric guitars, drums and whatnot. Rashmi-Virag, too, can’t save the song, probably giving one of their most ordinary songs of all. A song which is so ordinary, that you sit through it with a straight face. Disappointing work from Jeet, Armaan and Rashmi-Virag! The second consecutive typical song of the album…

The third and last composer, Ankit Tiwari steps in with the third song on the soundtrack. This time, I have huge hopes from him, what with him recently showing some great versatility in ‘Sehra’ (Do Lafzon Ki Kahani) and his single song ‘Badtameez’ which was out and out metal! And boy, he impresses and how!! Something I was waiting for from Ankit for a long, long time — a romantic song which doesn’t use all the same notes as all his other songs, something that doesn’t fall right into the category of ‘nighttime songs’. Something that will force me to play it over and over again. The last time he gave such a romantic song before ‘Sehra’, was all the way back in January 2015 — ‘Katra Katra’ (Alone). This time, he goes way ahead of anything he has done before. The song starts off with an acoustic guitar and harmonica combination, and then Ankit starts off with something that won’t really disclose anything about the magic that’s about to follow. At the first glance, it seems like any other Ankit song, a slow and dreamy melody. But it is when the Qawwali sets in, that I get swept away. Ankit has experimented a lot, using a fusion of Qawwali and Spanish arrangements. The hookline is arranged completely on Qawwali instruments. The tablas have been played tooooooo impressively, and it sounds even better than ‘Sanam Re’ title song or ‘Jeena Marna’ (Do Lafzon Ki Kahani), because the rhythm is way more catchy and innovative. Spanish guitars help in making the arrangements sound more dreamy and lilting. Strings and rock guitars also impress highly. I felt that these were one of Ankit’s best ever arrangements. The composition too, is way more than just an ordinary Ankit Tiwari composition. It is very matured and livelier than those others too. Also, the good, long length is like a bonus for us listeners. With two antaras having the same soulful and melodious tune, and the mukhda playing again once at te end, the song is nice and long, and cherishable. It isn’t like all those other good songs that end before they start. 😀 On the vocals front, Ankit seems to be very less autotuned, which I’m happy about. At the same time, Tulsi sounds like herself and sounds very beautiful. In the mukhda, her low pitch voice could’ve been avoided, though. Manoj Muntashir’s lyrics are beautiful as always, and Ankit brought them to life very effectively with such a great composition. A Spanish-Qawwali-rock fusion that works really effectively in engaging the listener right away. A strong hook really works, doesn’t it? Though it’s pretty deep into the soundtrack, here is ‘Junooniyat’s first#5StarHotelSong!!

Meet Bros. Anjjan come back into the album with their second song, which happens to be the title song. The song starts off on a grand note, with a very magnificent strings orchestra, and a wonderful backing chorus. The composition is not actually a typical Bhatt-ish one, either. However, it does sound like something that would sound good in one of those films. The trio has done a very good job trying to infuse as much grandeur in the song as possible, so as to make it sound more enchanting. And it works. The composition, for one, is very imposing; I wasn’t expecting such a heavy composition for the title song of this movie. However, it turns out to be quite heavy, and also takes quite a few listens to completely grow on you. The hookline may seem overdramatic at first, but later on, you get accustomed to it, and it sounds mesmerizing. So mesmerizing, that it won’t leave your head. The mukhda isn’t instantly likable, but sounds great after a few listens. Same goes with the antara. It sounds very typical at first, but after repeated listening, you get the beauty hidden in it. It has been composed on very high notes, and Falak beautifully renders the composition, with its numerous variations. The arrangements are as grand as grand can be. The backing vocalists do their best to make the song sound enchanting, and they succeed. The strings play an important role in infusing magic into the song. Electric guitars and some great percussion lead the song into the category of ‘heavily instrumentated, but sweet sounding songs’. The orchestration is something we have never heard from Meet Bros. Anjjan. The cello and violins have been played so very beautifully. The haunting composition also helps in making the song sound appealing. Flute in the first interlude soothes you down, while electric guitars in the second interlude make you feel more energetic. The whole arrangements somehow reminded me of the music of movies set in Kashmir — ‘Fanaa’, ‘Haider’, ‘Fitoor’ and the like; it was so grand. Falak’s vocals are par excellence. I’ve never heard Falak sing in such a dynamic manner, and I must say, he sings mighty well!! Kumaar has written typical romantic Bhatt-ish lyrics, but the grand composition makes them sound great. They suit the theme of the song. Meet Bros. Anjjan at their best! A Mithoon-styled composition, that is heavy and haunting, but appealing at the same time. The imposing orchestration makes it seems all the more grand, and Falak renders it beautifully. Special mention for the beautiful backing vocalists!#5StarHotelSong!!

The lead trio, MBA, end their part of the album with a crazy, wacky, insane holi song. Again, this song doesn’t appeal right away, but after a few times of hearing it, it appeals to you and you sstart praising it. The song starts with a crazy flute, in a South-flavoured rhythm, followed by a weird techno sound that is so catchy. The same tune is later played on a shehnaai, and you know that nothing but craziness follows. The trio has composed a zany but immensely catchy song, something that I normally would expect from Pritam or Rahman or Vishal-Shekhar or Sachin-Jigar or Amaal Mallik, too. The trio succeeds in making a composition with numerous twists and turns, tempo changes and weird variations. The craziness doesn’t go overboard, like it does sometimes (‘Housefull 3’), nor does it fall short. It is just right and that is why it sounds good. The dappankuthu rhythm sounds great for the song, and it follows the footsteps of ‘Balam Pichkari’ (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani) in being a Holi song which is silly and catchy at the same time. The way the trio has creatively joined the mukhda and antaras to the hookline with the smooth tempo change, is really fun to hear. The line “subah Ke baje chaahe paanch, chaahe paanch, saade paanch” serves as a tempo changer as well as a seamless bridge to the hookline. Arrangements excel, with techno sounds, dholaks (Sanjeev Sen),the aforementioned shehnaai (Omkar Dhumal) and the percussion conducted by Nikhil Korpade, all sound cool together. The brass band, which is kind of essential in most modern-day Holi songs, has been nicely placed too. Meet Bros’ vocals sound great, as always. I like how both their voices sound like one, every single time. 😀 Khushboo, who impressed in ‘Girl I Need You’ (Baaghi) earlier this year, impresses here too, but in a totally different manner. She sings in so many different voices, sometimes high pitched, and sometimes low. It is really remarkable how she does those variations, because she never showed her versatility before ‘Baaghi’! Last but not the least, Kumaar’s lyrics are fun to hear. They are not too nonsensical, but they at least appeal and don’t come across as disgusting. After all, this is Kumaar’s forte! An insane Holi track, that will get India grooving next spring!! Meet Bros. Anjjan have showed immense versatility in this one album! You must hear this one and you have to pagalon sa naach (dance like idiots :p ) after that!!#5StarHotelSong!!

Jeet Gannguli takes over to wrap up the album, with a song that is supposed to be the climax song of the movie, another title song. The first title song by Meet Bros. Anshan was a soulful, haunting number. However, here, Jeet takes us back to 2006-2007 and composes a wonderfully nostalgic number. The song has been composed like a club number, full of pain and sorrow, but nevertheless making you groove to the beats. It falls into the category of songs like ‘Ya Ali’ (Gangster), with numerous techno beats accompanying a purely soulful, yet upbeat composition. Jeet has tried his hand at this, I think for the first time after ‘Blood Money’s ‘Jo Tere Sang’. In fact, the song sounds a lot like ‘Jo Tere Sang’. However, I loved it. Jeet’s composition being so nostalgic, turned out to be an advantage for it. It takes you back to those days when Pritam and Himesh would rule the music industry with these songs. The little couplet sung by Shrey in the beginning, is wonderfully composed, but who would know that it would make way for an electrifying composition! The mukhda is instantly likable, as is the hookline. The main reason is the dynamic arrangements. They are just too groovy. Jeet has composed the first antara as a replica of the mukhda, while the second has Akriti singing a beautiful and soulful tune, that you are surely going to love. While Shrey’s parts have been heavily accentuated by techno club sounds, Akriti’s are minimally decorated, just by soft strings and a loop of electric guitar riffs. Jeet tries dubstep successfully in the first interlude, accompanied by marvelous strings. Ankur Mukherjee’s guitars are beautifully placed in the song, and sound beautiful. To write about the vocals, Shrey sounds very, very much like Atif Aslam, so much so that I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference if Atif himself sings another version of the song later on. Akriti seems to have sung in an uncomfortably high pitch, but nevertheless, she sounds beautiful. Manoj Muntashir, yet again, writes wonderfully romantic lyrics which do have a bit of a climactic tint in them. A song PERFECT for the climax of the movie. Jeet takes us back to 2006/2007 with a wonderful clubbish intense romantic number, which he does beautifully. Both singers are awesome in their rendition, while Jeet’s arrangements just take the song higher!#5StarHotelSong!!

Junooniyat was an album I was expecting not more than three-four great songs. And what a surprise when I get exactly four good songs, the remaining two failing to offer much. Meet Bros. Anshan show immense talent in versatility by composing a party number, an intense romantic track that might even put stalwarts to shame and a Holi number, all in one single album! Time for them to come and compose solo for an album now after their debut ‘Isi Life Mein’ (also their only Solo album, I think!!). Jeet goes diplomatic with one mediocre song and one brilliant song. Loved the way he chose the 2000s path to give a mind blowing climax song. However, the winner of the album, hands-down, is Ankit Tiwari, the chap who has troubled us a lot previously, and decided to come and impress again this year. After great songs, one each in ‘Airlift’ and ‘Do Lafzon Ki Kahani’, he highly impressed with his single song in ‘Junooniyat’. But that single song is what stands tall in front of all the other songs! With that, I must say, this junooniyat (passion)was worth hearing! It is full of passionate romance, and fanatically passionate dance!!

Bangistan is an upcoming Bollywood comedy satire film, directed by debutant director Karan Anshuman and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar. The film stars Riteish Deshmukh and Pulkit Samrat in lead roles, with Jacqueline Fernandez appearing in a cameo. The film is about two terrorists who have set out to change the world. The music of the film has been scored by Ram Sampath, who is composing for a satirical film, for the second time in a row after ‘Ekkees Toppon Ki Salaami’. That was a political satire, whereas this is more of a religious satire. He hadn’t really delivered a soundtrack which was expected from him in that movie, and had underwhelmed me with that album. So, I hope he makes up for it with this album, even though I know that even this one doesn’t have much scope for music! Anyways, I’m keeping my fingers crossed and hoping he delivers a mind-blowing album. Let’s find out whether he has or not!

The album starts off with something that would immediately increase the rate of your heartbeat, and make you really excited for what’s next on the album. No, your heartbeat won’t increase because of the fact that you got scared of what Ram has given us in this song, and so you want to check out the others right away! But, it will increase because what Ram has given is enough to make you love the song immediately and make you so excited that you cannot wait to hear the other songs right away! An outright pacy and cheerful song, is what Ram Sampath has placed in front of you. As it starts with the aalaap by Shadab Faridi and Sonali Mohapatra, you can’t help but guess that something brilliant is on the way. And as the actual song starts after the aalaap, things get really fun. Though the song is arranged mainly on the Qawwali template, modern arrangements also make a place for themselves in it thanks to Ram. Those rock guitars entering occasionally, would make the new generation love the song too. At the same time, harmonium and tablas give the classic Qawwali touch. With three melodious antaras, the song is a real treat to hear. Of course, the composition has a distinct and easily identifiable Ram Sampath-trademark stamp on it, but that just makes it all the more enjoyable. In some places, it sounds like the Amazon India advertisement song, ‘Aur Dikhao’, also composed by Ram. The trio of singers really do their best in making it sound lively, and they don’t fail at all. Sona’s rustic voice is perfect for the nuances that make it sound more Qawwali-esque, and so is Shadab’s. Abhishek sounds a lot like Ram himself, and his voice brings in the contrast to the song, as it isn’t rustic at all. Puneet Krishna’s lyrics are quirky and do sound very weird at places, but perfect for a Bollywod Qawwali as this. The other version, called the EDM version, is not different at all, except in arrangements, as is evident from the title. Electronic Dance Music — EDM — touch has been wonderfully given, and ensures that this version would appeal more to the youngsters. In the antaras, wonderful electronic tablas have been added here, which made me love this version more. 😂😂 😀 Everything else, the same as the former version. A Bollywood Qawwali following the Bollywood norms, with a groovy tune, massy Hinglish lyrics, and wonderful arrangements!#5StarHotelSong!!

2. Hogi KrantiSingers ~ Ram Sampath & Abhishek Nailwal

A march-past rhythm starting off a Bollywood song, surely leaves you astonished, and wondering whether you’ve not somehow traveled back in time to your school days! And that is just how this next song on the album starts. With an attention-grasping whistle, and that same rhythm that you used to hear every time you used to practice for the parade in your schooldays, the song instantly makes you concentrate on itself and only itself. The composition is very well composed around a patriotic theme, and set on a patriotic-sounding rhythm as well. Using some lines from the famous patriotic song ‘Hum Honge Kamyaab’, both the lyricist Puneet Krishna and composer Ram Sampath, prove their versatility and expertise in all things experimental. We already know how good Ram is at experimenting, and that quality of himself just magnifies itself after we hear this song. The parade feel is prominent in the first two stanzas, while the third stanza makes way for a rustic feel in the lyrics, but the arrangements are awesome with the ukelele used in a brilliant manner, and after which the tempo is increased and the song prepares for a grand ending with fiddles and ukelele. The percussions of the song are also awesomely done. Puneet’s lyrics are really creative in the sense that he’s spoofing a really famous patriotic song, and the whole theme of the song lies in the basic idea of the protagonist trying to convince himself and other people around him that he will become a ‘successful’ terrorist. The lines he’s written make you laugh out loud, and paired with Ram’s creative and catchy music, it makes for an entertaining listen for the whole three short minutes that it plays for, leaving the listener seem really unsatisfied when it ends, wanting more. Ram and Abhishek’s vocals appeal to the ear, and though it is really difficult to distinguish between both their voices, if you listen carefully you’ll manage to figure it out. Ram has the major part to sing, while Abhishek joins in at places. All in all, an excellent spoof! The magic lies in the lyrics, and composition!#5StarHotelSong!!

Guitar riffs welcome the listener into the next song of the album, with a lively bagpipe melody following it, and the two experts or may I say, prime consultants when it comes to club songs nowadays, Benny and Aditi start the actual song, which has a jolly, and swingy rhythm to it, that will surely make you get up to your feet and groove along to the beats. And when the hookline punches in with that awesomely composed and sung “Fullll tight..”, you can’t help but keep listening and grooving. Ram composes a club song, that will definitely grasp the attention of today’s youth, and chooses all the right singers to execute his awesome composition. The composition has the right European (mainly Irish) feel to it, complete with the yodels and all. The mukhda starts the song off so brilliantly , that the antaras sound catchy by default. The singers Aditi, Benny, Neeraj and Janusz do well. Aditi leads along with Benny, while the other two stay mainly in the background. There are some places when you can hear Neeraj quite distinctly, and it feels very delighting to hear him again after a long time. (Of course, I’m not taking his negligible part in ‘Gangster Baby’ from ‘Action Jackson’ into consideration.) Aditi sounds pretty different here, and is the only singer whose diction isn’t perfect, resulting in a hodgepodge of words that are not easy to make out. All the others do their parts well, though, and cover up for her. Ram’s EDM arrangements make the scene really lively, yet give the song a distinct ‘night song’ stamp, as in, it sounds better when heard at night. The Irish touch with bagpipes, harmonicas etc. gives it an interesting experimentation angle too. Puneet’s lyrics are perfect club song lyrics, but again, they’re killed in places by Aditi, when we can’t really figure out what they are! An enjoyable club song, almost perfect in all fields, but definitely doesn’t fail to serve its purpose!!#5StarHotelSong!!

4. MaulaSingers ~ Ram Sampath & Rituraj Mohanty

All that loud and enjoyable and fast-paced music, must’ve made listeners exhausted from dancing, and so the makers play a smart move by including a calm song after three of the fast ones. This one is on the lines of religious tolerance. The message of secularism is very well conveyed to listeners through the lyrics that talk about this very theme in a very clichéd, yet entertaining manner. Many people have tried their hand at writing such songs before, and Puneet in his debut album itself, tries it out, and succeeds. What makes it even more lovable, is Ram’s twisting and turning composition and his awesome arrangements. Composed on a beautiful Keherwa rhythm, which steals your heart, the song becomes likable right from the starting beats of electronic tablas. The tune is something that you would not expect in a mainstream Bollywood movie, and the very, very unexpected turn which it takes at 2:10, the very awe-inspiring Qawwali touch, leaves the listener shocked, but at the same time, mesmerized. The Qawwali instruments very beautifully grace this part, and actual tablas (not electronic) have been used for this magical part along with the quintessential harmonium. After some time, the song gets back to its original tempo and rhythm. The hookline “Allah hoo, Allah hoo, hey Ram, Ram, Ram” has a nice ring to it, and appeals to the ears too. The secular message is so prominent in this line itself, so imagine what a great job Puneet must’ve done in the rest of the song! He has just outdone himself with every line. Each line wins over the previous line. Lastly, the vocals. The wonderful vocals. Ram has made Rituraj sing ‘Sahib’ in ‘Bhoothnath Returns’ previously, and they repeat the same magic with each other. Rituraj sings the song with such finesse and grace, complemented by Ram himself in places, that the listener has to get goosebumps due to his touching rendition. The vocals are a cherry on top of the delicious cake that this song is, whose every piece is to be cherished slowly, and thoughtfully. A strong message of secularism in the lyrics, brilliantly conveyed, a soothing composition and just as soothing vocals, beautiful arrangements, what else could you ask for!! This song is just a treat for music lovers!#5StarHotelSong!!

5. Meri ZiddSingers ~ Ram Sampath & Siddharth Basrur

The next song also starts off like a very calm song. Mild piano notes open it up, and then Ram sings two lines very calmly, preparing the listener for another soft song. However, the next line brings the unexpected twist to the song. When I first heard it, I was completely shocked as it was something I wasn’t expecting at all. The song turns into an out-and-out rock song, though not metal either. I personally hate the rock genre, but I couldn’t help but love this song! Ram’s implementation of the rock elements into the song is perfectly done, and even the composition doesn’t lack appeal at all. It is a kind of composition that you cannot forget after you’ve heard it. It just makes a home in your mind. Drums, electric guitars, the usual rock stuff constitute the arrangements here, and sound really well with Ram’s composition. Siddhartha’s vocals are spot-on, and bringing that grungy texture into his voice as is required for rock songs, he sings the song really well and it seems, effortlessly too! Ram joins in at parts, serves mostly as only the backing vocalist and also sings two lines at the beginning, nothing more. The song ends rather abruptly, and the listeners do get an incomplete feeling, but had it been longer, it wouldn’t have kept the listeners hooked onto it that much. Puneet has written lyrics that perfectly capture the emotions of a person who is guilty of the bad things he’s done in life, and is ready to live more, in order to wash away his sins. All of the aspects together, make for a song which is really interesting to hear! Ram succeeds in giving us a cool rock song with an interesting theme!#5StarHotelSong!!

6. Is Duniya Se Ladna HaiSingers ~ Suraj Jagan & Abhishek Nailwal

Suraj Jagan and Abhishek Nailwal join together behind the mic for the last song on the soundtrack. As soon as it starts, the dappankuthu sets in, and you brace yourself for something entertaining. However, unfortunately, things aren’t what they were expected to be, and the song proves to be an utter disappointment. The 6/8 rhythm infused with rock elements fails to light any fire of interest inside the listener, and comes across as pretty bland and dull. The lyrics are fine, but the composition that supports them doesn’t live up to the expectations. Arrangements are not anything special or unique, and are very much heard-before. Suraj, who very rarely impresses me, probably because he almost only sings rock songs, which don’t appeal to me that much. Abhishek has sung his parts well, but again, the composition doesn’t support him throughout the song. A very disappointing ending to an otherwise awesome album!!!

Bangistan is an album in which Ram has tried to show immense creativity and he has experimented wherever he got an opportunity to do so. Except one, all the songs have a different feel to them, and each of them impresses in its own way. The album doesn’t lack variety at all, and that is why it should’ve helped in bringing people to the cinemas for this movie, but I guess bad promotion of the music, except for two songs ‘Ishq Karenge’ and ‘Saturday Night’, prevented this from happening and resulted in the movie being wiped out quite soon. Whatever be the verdict on the movie, the fact remains that Ram has composed one of his most experimental albums, and has jumped back into the scene after a bland album ‘Ekkees Toppon Ki Salaami’, with a huge BANG!!

Action Jackson is an upcoming Bollywood Masala entertainer flick, directed by the man known for the huge amount of entertainment (and nonsense 😜) in his movies, i.e, Prabhudheva. The film has been produced by Vic Walia, Gordhan Tanwani and Sunil Lulla, and features Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha, Yami Gautam and debutante Manasvi Mamgai in the lead roles. Prabhudheva’s films are well-known for their entertaining rustic music, that always manages to make us groove, and of course, the picturisations are always so lively and energetic. After working with Sajid-Wajid for two movies, Sachin-Jigar for one movie, and Pritam for his latest movie, and garnering positive reviews for each of the albums, Prabhudheva has settled on Himesh Reshammiya to compose for this movie. It is the first time they are working together, and dynamic and entertaining-to-the-core songs were expected from Himesh, who gave pretty good music for ‘The Xposé’, ‘Humshakals’ and two songs from ‘Kick’ this year. So, how well does the first collaboration between Prabhudheva and Himesh go? Let’s find out!

Himesh has always been and continues to be known as one of the most sensational composers that ever entered Bollywood, giving numerous hits, be it dance tracks or romantic songs. His sensational songs are also, for that matter, pretty weird and confusing and they make you think “This is a hit?!” The exact same thing has happened with this song. Since it is in a Prabhudheva film, it got the little good luck which it did, but I doubt it would have gotten such a status had it been in any other film. First of all, it starts with an annoying and literally keeda-like sound, pretty similar to the sound those insects make at night when they wake you up in the middle of your sweet dream. 😂 Himesh kicks in with an unusually (for him) low-pitched voice, which is apparently meant to sound like a rockstar or something, but fails miserably. Neeti also fails to create any impact, with only the mukhda for her to repeat after Himesh. Though the song has been making huge waves amongst the masses, I don’t see any reason for it to be doing so, because very frankly speaking, it has not many attractive elements at all. Whatever Shabbir Ahmed has called “lyrics”, all I can say about them is that, it seems that he had been kept at gunpoint and forced to hastily scribble the most illogical words he could ever think of and place them in such a way that they would make less sense than a saas-bahu daily soap opera. I guess Prabhudheva didn’t understand what lyrics he approved. 😅 If I had to point out any positive thing about the song, however, I would definitely say that the beats are groovy! Again, the recording could have been a thousand times better, given the music era we are witnessing today! The reprise version in nothing different, except for the fact that it has more lines sung by Neeti, so there is a plus point in it. A song which you cannot ignore, but you can’t do anything about it either! A literal KEEDA!

The second song, sees Himesh re-enter in his typical Punjabi-mode, similar to what he did in the songs of ‘Son Of Sardaar’, but a tad bit less catchy and attractive. A catchy tune, however, does welcome you into the song, and Ankit and Vineet’s voices welcome us very warmly into the song. After that, you would be expecting an awesome build-up to the hookline, but, on the contrary, the hookline abruptly plays and actually seems like some link has been broken between the starting lines and the hookline. The hookline itself has very little oomph, which makes it disapointing considering that it is a collaboration of Himesh and Prabhudheva! One makes tremendously catchy music while the other choreographs sensationally! This song is supposed to be playing in two different situations at the same time, and Sameer has said that it was difficult to achieve that for the song. Well, then Mr. Sameer, I think you don’t know about that song ‘Bol Beliya’ from ‘Kill Dil’ geniusly written by Gulzar! It is just another meaningless mishmash of words. Talking about the vocals, all the singers have sung whatever their part is, great, but some of those lines which they have sung just don’t fit in the song. Firstly, Arya’s rap is not at all catchy, and on top of that, since it is in a Punjabi dance song, it sounds all the more odd and unsuitable. Another thing is that, though Mamta Sharma would have done a great job as the female vocalist, Himesh has insisted on transforming Neeti into Mamta! Thanks for that! Ankit, Vineet and Alam Gir Khan have stood out with their respective parts, while Himesh does join in at the hookline. Definitely better than the album opener, but not yet containing the expected punch of an ideal Himesh Reshammiya song! Another middling effort!

Finally, we get to experience some actual Himesh stuff (by that I mean, catchy and viral!) with the third song in the album! Starting with an extremely catchy and attractive and just beautiful harmonium tune, it instantly grips you and pulls you towards it. The aah aah aah and pop sounds with which the song starts are just too, too appealing. Shalmali acts as the cherry on top, with her sweet, yet naughty vocals. But then comes the ususal Himesh ‘item song’ beats, and the usual ‘repetition’ which HAS to be there in one of Himesh’s songs! (Or does it?) The same beats as ‘Piya Ke Bazaar Mein’ from ‘Humshakals’ can be heard, with the exact same arrangements! What’s more, Himesh is sounding way too high-pitched in this particular song, more than he has ever sounded recently! Because of him, even Shalmali’s nasal voice seems reduced. The lyrics in this song are the exact same case, illogical, irrelevant and height of shamelessness. But that suits the tune, so not much qualms about it. Considering the first two songs, this song definitely excels, but individually, doesn’t seem like an extraordinary composition either. The antaras have no outstanding tune either, and work as boring lengtheners to the good mukhda. The arrangements being the same old stuff, don’t impress much, but as I said, that harmonium loop is something you should not miss! What starts off as an exciting and enjoyable song turns out to be a tiring listen! Dhamakedaar start with a lacklustre continuation!

A sweet 90s-type rhythm of daflis and bagpipe-like tune welcomes us into the next song of the album, a soft romantic duet by Palak Muchhal and Ankit Tiwari. Throughout this year, Himesh has reserved Palak for songs which are not ideally meant for her, and aren’t in her comfort zone. But here, he takes her back to her forté (but that doesn’t mean she’s perfect at it, because that position is still being occupied by Shreya Ghoshal 😃 ) Anyways, the tune is a cute old-fashioned one with many attractive elements, and even by hearing just thirty seconds of the song, you can immediately make out that this is the gem of the album (Not a gem, mind you, but merely the gem of the album!) Ankit and Palak’s voices sound good together, and Ankit sounds better in this song than he does in his own compositions, probably because of the fact that his voice hasn’t been autotuned to disturbance here. 😂 One thing I must point out though, is his terrible diction and pronunciation of certain words. (har jagah ab dikke tu… sounds so odd! Might be bcause the lyrics don’t fit well into the tune or vice versa!) The hookline might irritate some, but I frankly found it awesome and very catchy. Antaras work as well, in giving the song more attractiveness. But yes, the disturbances in the lyrics are not done away with here either! Just try translating the lyrics into English and you’ll get my point. Also, arrangements and recording here isn’t top class either! The tune lacks the universal appeal, and ten years later, you might have forgotten all about this song, and when you hear it, you might just mistake it for some song which released in 1993. The best song of the album, but again, if they would have given more importance to the arrangements, freshness of tune and recording, it would have been a class apart!

Well, to be honest, after hearing the two other songs which Neeti has sung in this album, I wasn’t ready to hear another just because of the terrible fate of the first two. However, I still had some hope, because Neeti is a very talented singer, and I was hoping that she would finally make some mark in the album and leave some legacy for the album behind. 😂 Well, it was just a wrong and ridiculous expectation, and too great an expectation as well. Himesh Reshammiya has literally redefined the rock genre, and that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s enhanced it. The rock guitar tune (which has been lifted from a South song) does entertain to some extent, but when Neeti enters, everything suddenly changes. She has been given such an unattractive, flat, boring and trying-to-be-the-new-cool composition to sing, that I feel utterly sorry for her. The experiments that have been done with her voice by HR fail to impress as well. On top of that, when Shabbir Ahmed comes to write the most absurd words he can think of, then we can rest assured that the song’s fate is bad. He has written any stupid lyrics! I think he thinks that adding bootylicious or django or bloody to the lyrics automatically makes the song sound good! Well, no sir, it isn’t like that; writing lyrics is also an art! The interludes in the song are some of the worst I’ve ever come across, and they don’t actually attract and keep people listening, like interludes are supposed to. Neeraj enters briefly, but fails to set anything right. Ajay Devgn’s mindless dialogues just make the listeners even more irritated. Rock redefined for the worse!

♪ Extra Song♪ AJ ThemeVoice ~ Ajay Devgn

The theme song of the movie, which released last, is surprisingly very entertaining, and unexpectedly catchy! After the disastrous fate of the album, such a comparatively awesome theme was definitely not what I was expecting. But all this praise is mostly just for one bit of the theme, and that is the small harmonium-tabla combo tune that keeps coming to entertain us. The bongo-congo also sounds great. Other instruments like the guitars, and other techno sounds have been used well, but could have been used in a catchier way. Ajay irritates with his dialogues, though. Better than some of the actual full-fledged songs in this album! Enjoy the end credits with this song!

Action Jackson is one of those albums, for which I had huge expectations, and probably that’s why I was so disappointed when the album finally released, and did not meet even half of my expectations. The catchiness, hummability and repeat value which is usually present in a Himesh album, is somehow absent from this album. The lyrics are absurd and the recording is worse than the 90s! Some elements from each song make it overall a decent affair, but I seriously don’t think this album is going to be on people’s playlists for long. The theme song being better than four of the five actual songs, is enough to prove my point and also justify my final rating for this album! What’s more, there isn’t a single song in the album, which I can confidently and proudly call a #5StarHotelSong. So, this ends up as the worst album reviewed on my blog. (And it just had to be a single-composer album by one of the t composers of Bollywood! Uggghh I feel so bad for having to do this..) Hey Prabhu!! Ye Tune Kya Kiya! The HR-Prabhu combo just didn’t work!

Final Rating for This Album:- सा < रे< ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां

Note:- The letter which is underlined is the final rating. Also, please don’t be offended by the low rating…Read my Humshakals and The Xposé reviews to get to know that I’m not at all a HR hater!

Which is your favourite song from Action Jackson? Please vote for it below! 😊

Bobby Jasoos is an upcoming comedy thriller film, directed by Samar Shaikh and produced by Dia Mirza and Sahil Sangha under their banner, Born Free Entertainment. Vidya Balan is the playing the lead role in this women-centric film, and supporting her are many actors including Ali Fazal (‘Fukrey’ fame), Supriya Pathak, Arjan Bajwa, Zarina Wahab to name a few. Vidya is playing an aspiring detective in the film, and it would be interesting to see her carry out the role. The music composer who has composed great soundtracks for many of Vidya’s earlier films, like ‘Parineeta’, ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’ and ‘Eklavya: The Royal Guard’, has been roped in to score for this film and he is Shantanu Moitra. Nowadays absent from composing for mainstream commercial Bollywood movies, and his last movie being ‘Madras Café’, this movie would mark his comeback to commercial films, and so a great soundtrack like that of ‘Parineeta’ and ‘3 Idiots’ was expected from him. Accompanying him as the lyricist is the great Swanand Kirkire, from whom exceptional lyrics are always expected. So, with that, let’s start to investigate the soundtrack of Bobby Jasoos. (Get it? Get it? “Investigate”? 😂 Okay, I’ll cut it with the Sajid Khan-level jokes, but let’s seriously start “investigating” this soundtrack!)

1. Jashn:-Singers ~ Shreya Ghoshal & Bonnie Chakraborty

The kick-starter to the album is a peppy, full-of-energy, high-spirited track, supposedly an ‘Eid ka chaand’ song, with many Carnatic touches, thanks to the brilliant use of nadaswaram and thavil. The very high energy quotient in Shreya’s voice helps this song a lot, and she provides the required amount of energy and aces the song. The tune, which is a bit dated, does not disappoint fully, but sounds a bit too outdated at parts like in the antaras. The flute part has been executed brilliantly, and the electric guitars also appear in a cameo towards the end of the song. The song reminded me of Shantanu’s own ‘Bandey Mein Tha Dum’ from ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’ at places. The peppiness in the song just cannot be ignored and will get you dancing (it depends 😛 ) in no time. In the antara, the arrangements are hushed a bit, and again pick up the peppiness after some lines, the transition so smooth and perfect that you won’t even notice it. Bonnie Chakraborty also makes a cameo appearance in one of the antaras and though he sings good, it didn’t quite work for me, and he was overshadowed by Shreya. Swanand’s lyrics are also suitable. A nice peppy track, with a few disappointing elements, which can be ignored because of the positive points! Go for it!

The instant it starts with magical guitar strums followed by Shreya Ghoshal’s sweet voice, I could tell that this song would have something different and that it would give me another reason to love classical music. It starts like a contemporary romantic track with guitars, and then suddenly the composition changes course altogether and transforms into a full-fledged semiclassical heavenly song. Papon, Shantanu’s new favourite now that Sonu Nigam won’t sing for T-Series, brings in the tablas with him, and they have been played so beautifully, that Papon himself must have been compelled to sing in a heavenly voice. The veena has been played very beautifully too. The people who don’t like classical music will get a reason to like it after hearing this song, while the people who do like it might just decide to never stop listening to classical music. The mukhda as well as the antaras have a great tune which will transport you to paradise for seven minutes. The lyrics by Swanand are also exceptional, with dashes of the Hyderabadi (where the film is set) culture, reflecting in the Urdu. Papon’s voice is so clear that I wonder why he doesn’t get more songs. In the reprise, another seven minutes of blissful paradise is granted to all the people who are still not satisfied with the first seven minutes, and this time, the roles of both the singers have been reversed, with Shreya singing the main classical parts, and Papon supporting her. The musical arrangement is pretty much the same, and yet the song still has the freshness, and you won’t get sick and tired of it at all. I seriously cannot stop praising this son ever since its release! Shreya’s aalaaps are another must-not-miss feature of this song. I liked the reprise more than the original version, because, well of course because of the sukoon in Shreya’s voice! Shantanu has given us fourteen minutes of bliss, in the form of a beautiful, too good, indescribable semiclassical eternal melody!#5StarHotelSong!

This song is the title song of the film, and Shantanu has created a pretty enjoyable track, with fun lyrics by Swanand, which describe our main character, Bobby. He has created an interesting fusion of classical and retro jazz, with the Carnatic instruments and brass instruments complementing each other pretty well. The harmonium and thavils have been seen along with brass horns. The female chorus sounds very annoying when they sing that particular line ‘B.O.B.B. Ki jasoosi’. I guess T-Series is obsessed with spelling out the name of their films or characters in the theme songs, like in ‘The Xposé’ and now in this. I think we know how to spell, T-Series! And that too, they have spelled Bobby wrong in this song! 😝 Neeraj Shridhar’s voice sounds very feminine and that reminded me of the ideal choice for this song, and that would be Usha Uthup. She would have done total justice to this song. Though it is entertaining, it is just as much annoying thanks to Neeraj singing in a female-ized voice, and the female chorus consisting of four never-heard-of-before singers, who should get a Master’s degree in Irritating People. What’s more, the song is over five minutes long, and it makes for a very monotonous listen. The only part worth listening to this otherwise annoying song for is the interesting fusion and the lyrics.

4. Sweety:-Singers ~ Aishwarya Nigam & Monali Thakur

The banjo loop from the title song of ‘Gunday’ forms the starting of this song, and though it must be a music sample, I don’t think it was a good decision to use it here, in a Desi wedding track. The first impression the song gave me was BAD, so I guess that impression continued its negative work, and contaminated my brain, ordering it to keep having a bad impression on the song afterwards also. Anyways, the song doesn’t deserve to be praised or anything. It is just a tad bit less annoying than the previous track. Aishwarya Nigam (no, that’s not his real surname, he just kept it because he is a fan of Sonu Nigam) seems to have established himself as a wedding track and item song singer in Bollywood. This time though, his usual partner Manta Sharma is absent from the scene and she is replaced by the latest Filmfare Award for Best Female Singer recipient, Monali Thakur. They both sing great as usual (I have always liked both their voices in their songs) but the tune fails in this song. What’s more, the hookline has redefined “sappy” with its sappy lyrics which are a mix of modern and Shakespearean English. I mean who says “thee” in a Hindi song? Leave that, even the modern English words sound very odd in this track! The arrangements are okay. The brass shaadi interlude starts very dully, but then it turns into a Spanish/Brazilian beat, which is pretty interesting. The song ends interestingly too, with Aishwarya singing oral rhythms in the background while Monali sings the sappy hook. Lacks an engaging tune, lacks innovative lyrics, but vocals are the only good aspect of the song.

Bobby Jasoos is an album which has one eternal melody, ‘Tu’, one entertaining song to an extent, ‘Jashn’, a song scoring in arrangements and disappointing in vocals, ‘B.O.B.B’, and a song scoring in nothing much except vocals, ‘Sweety’. Shantanu has retained a certain amount of quality in the first two tracks, which drops drastically in the last two tracks, so we can call the soundtrack misleading, too. Shantanu’s comeback to mainstream commercial Bollywood films has been a mediocre one, but he has given us an unforgettable song too with all the easily forgettable ones. Swanand doesn’t disappoint as much with the lyrics, only underperforming in the last song. The songs do entertain, but barring ‘Tu’, none will be permanently stuck in your memory. When a single song’s quality is equal to the total quality of the other tracks, you know that the soundtrack has a problem, and that is exactly the case with this album. I seriously think that Bobby should have done more homework on music. 😛 An album with very less shelf life, or playlist life, save for the blissful ‘Tu’.

Humshakals is an upcoming comedy film directed by Sajid Khan and produced by Vashu Bhagnani. The film stars Saif Ali Khan, Riteish Deshmukh and Ram Kapoor as the male leads, and the interesting part is that each of them has a triple role. The female leads are played by Tamannaah Bhatia, Bipasha Basu and Esha Gupta. With such a huge starcast, a lot of expectations are there from the film. Along with the film, there are even more expectations from the soundtrack! The music has been composed by Himesh Reshammiya, who is fresh from the success of The Xposé. Another great soundtrack like ‘The Xposé’ was expected. So let’s see whether he gave what was expected or more!

Right from the starting beats, you will start grooving along to the music of this song. The horn tune is very catchy and so is the hookline. Neeraj Shridhar is the perfect choice for this song, and his voice suits the composition very well. I’m sure that if this song wasn’t in this film, Himesh would have sung it himself (Neeraj seems to be a must in almost every Sajid Khan film 😛 ) Himesh has gone into the Pritam-zone with this song, but his touches are not absent. His way of repeating the lines many times in the same song can be seen in this song. The violin in the first interlude and wind instrument in the second interlude sound very good, however. Neeti Mohan has done a fantastic job! I just love the way she says “Caaaaalertune” at the end of Neeraj’s line. Her part in the antara has also been sung very efficiently. The way Himesh has overlapped the two lines “Tu mera hai junoon” and “Callertune baby” is outstanding! Also, I went crazy over the small guitar strum after “tu mera hai nasha“! It is so brilliantly placed! The lyrics by Sameer are typical for a romantic/dance track. If the words “Callertune baby” are excepted, and if you read out the lyrics without any tune, it will be the lyrics of a romantic song! 😀 A nice, catchy song, perfect for a Sajid Khan comedy!

I would term this track as a “Dandiya Qawwali”. Himesh has very geniusly fused two folk genres, Dandiya and Qawwali, to invent a Dandiya Qawwali. It starts with a harmonium tune which is so catchy, you will never forget it for at least five years! 😛 The tune is brilliantly composed, and it is another catchy tune like the previous song. The arrangements are fabulous! I can’t find any fault at all in them. Harmonium, dandiyas, dhols, all sound great in their own places in the song. Special mention for the whistles too! 😀 Himesh does not sound his usual nasal self, but tries to sing in a low pitch this time. He succeeds! I don’t think anyone will have any problem with his voice in this song. Shalmali’s part has such a sweet tune, and she has sung it very gracefully. Palak also does very well in this song. Himesh, the one who introduced her into the industry, always gives her very good songs to sing. Still, I don’t understand why Shalmali hasn’t sung the whole song. The lyrics by Shabbir Ahmed are a bit better than ‘Ice Cream’, but not so great that they should win awards, either! 😛 A near PERFECT song! Very catchy, and awesome arrangements and vocals!#5StarHotelSong!

The techno tune with which is starts is very, very catchy. After that ends, the song goes on a downhill trip to I don’t know where. I mean, with such a catchy start, any normal person would expect a lot from the rest of the song. The rest of the song doesn’t help that much. Some parts are very nice, like the antaras, but the mukhda is very weak. Himesh’s trademark ‘Woh oh oh’ can also be heard in the song. So the tune is a bit weak, but the vocals, they are the saving grace of the song and the way Ash King and Neeti Mohan complement each other and hold the song on their shoulders is pretty commendable. Especially Neeti’s line “Ye dil hua faraar…” sounds very nice, with two layers of her voice, one high pitched and the other very low. Sameer’s lyrics are good in the antaras, but again, weak in the mukhda. A weak mukhda can change the perspective of someone to look at the whole song, even though the antaras might be good. That’s why the mukhda should have been a bit more strong in terms of tune at least. A vocal show all the way! Listen to it for the great vocals!

This song is the Himesh equivalent of ‘Right Now Now’ from ‘Housefull 2’ which was composed by Sajid-Wajid. However, this song has a better vibe to it and a tune which would instantly be picked up by the ears of today’s youth. Plus, it doesn’t have elder people singing it like ‘Right Now Now’ (hinting at Wajid 😛 ) but it has youngsters singing it, providing the youth connect as well. After working with Chirantan Bhatt in ‘Ishk Actually’ and Vishal-Shekhar in ‘Gori Tere Pyaar Mein!’ and ‘Hasee Toh Phasee’, Sanam Puri has sung for Himesh Reshammiya in this song! A big achievement at such an initial phase of his singing career in Bollywood! He has sung this song with the right amounts of energy needed and also with good expression. Shalmali has supported him very, very well. The tune is again very catchy (I guess it’s Himesh’s specialty to make catchy songs!) and the backing vocals by Himesh are catchy, but some might find it a bit annoying. The composition is perfect! Especially the antaras, where Sanam repeats a line three times with a different tune each time. The use of the trumpet is fantastic! The techno sounds have also been used great! The pace of the song is slow, and that is the best part about it! The lyrics by Mayur Puri also suit the song. If you don’t like it in the first listen, which is likely to happen, please give it some more time. A must-listen, with great vocals and music! Definitely a #5StarHotelSong!

This song is a very innovative, brave and awesome song! I have fallen short of words to describe it! The song is in the league of funny classics like ‘Aakey Sidhi Lagi’ from ‘Half Ticket’ and ‘Ek Chatur Naar’ from ‘Padosan’. It has been composed in R.D. Burman style, and it is about two people in the mental asylum. In this song, I think everything is PERFECT! Himesh has sung very well, so well that nobody will be able to criticise his voice in the song! Especially the last line where he sings in a child’s voice! The tune is very good and I wonder how Himesh gave a tune to such a weird line as ‘Hum pagal nahin hai bhaiyya, hamara dimaag kharab hai!’ The main instruments are those dafli-like percussion instruments used in Gujarati folk. The trumpets are also used well! Saving the best for the last, and definitely not the least, I would like to applaud the lyrics here. Mayur Puri has written beautiful lyrics! They are as crazy as it can get! Along with being crazy, they also talk about the sadness of the people in the mental asylum, while they are away from their family and getting tortured in the asylum. The main hero of this song is aactually Mayur Puri, then Himesh! Hats off to him for writing such funny lyrics! Everything is perfect so it has to be a #5StarHotelSong!!

6. Khol De Dil Ki Khidki:-Singers ~ Mika Singh, Palak Muchhal, Lyrics by ~ Shabbir Ahmed This might be the only song in this album which is a bit disappointing. It starts with a banjo, which is quite catchy, but then Mika does his grand entry 😜 and to be honest, I’ve had enough of Mika now. The tune is good, but not that catchy. Palak’s part has the best tune. The tune from ‘Pe Pe Pe’ from ‘Shortcut Romeo’ has been recycled and reused in this song. The lyrics are typical Shabbir Ahmed lyrics, and not so great. Mika has sung in his usual style. Palak sounds great. Some may like this song, some may not. However, it is interesting on the screen, with the female humshakals of Saif, Riteish and Ram lip syncing the female part! 😝 Situational song, better on screen, but not that interesting to hear without the video.

Humshakals is an album in which Himesh has delivered the right amount of entertainment which is required in a Sajid Khan directorial venture. Each of the songs contribute exactly what is needed according to the genre of the movie. I will not compare the album to ‘The Xposé’ and behave like a fool, because both the movies were of two totally different genres, and they each had different needs in terms of music. If looked at that way, Humshakals is a perfect album. Most of the songs are very catchy whereas a few songs are a bit weak in that aspect. The choices of singers are perfect too, and there was nowhere I felt that this song should have been sung by someone else. No wonder Sajid Khan was calling Himesh the unsung hero of ‘Humshakals’! He really is! Humshakals is an album which is full of songs, which are exactly what the script must demand and I can say that the album is housefull of good tunes!

Final Rating for this album:- सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध< नी

Note:- The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Which is your favorite song from Humshakals? Please vote for your favorite!

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